Nobody in Hollywood sets out to make a movie with a message. Message movies are box office poison.

So it probably was dumb for me to point out to a director whose movie comedies have made more than $2 billion at the box office that his new comedy has a serious message.

But Shawn Levy said he didn't mind at all. In fact, he said he's proud that "The Internship" has a message to deliver.

The 44-year-old Levy, who directed "Date Night," Cheaper By the Dozen" and both "Night at the Museum" movies, said the movie has plenty of laughs and a happy ending, but also makes a workplace statement about one generation who played by the rules only to find that they "might not get a second act," and a younger generation who went to school, only to face little or no prospects in the job market.

In "The Internship," Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are reunited eight years after "Wedding Crashers" to star as old-school watch salesmen whose jobs are rendered obsolete in the digital age. Raising the "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" banner, the men secure summer internships at Google.

Levy filmed for a week at Google headquarters in Mountain View, and then built a replica of the Google campus on the grounds of Georgia Tech for the remainder of the film shoot.

The director tells us what it was like to film at Google, how much cooperation the tech company gave filmmakers and why the message of the movie was so important to Vince Vaughn.

Q.So, eight years ago, you were watching "Wedding Crashers" and you said to yourself: "I must work with those guys one day?"

A. Like the rest of the world, eight years ago, I watched "Wedding Crashers" and said: "These guys are magic." I was a fan of the movie, just like anyone who likes movie comedies, and I've been a huge fan of Owen since "Bottle Rocket," and a huge fan of Vince since "Swingers." But I wasn't actively looking for the reunion. But when it was offered to me a year ago, I certainly jumped at the chance.

Q. When you first saw the script, was Google aboard?

A. Not officially. Before there was a script, Vince came to me with an idea: He and Owen are interns at Google. I asked him if he was talking about the real Google, or a generic tech company to be named later. He said he was talking about the real Google. He had had a couple of meetings up there, but I would have to go up and describe my vision of the movie to them.

Q.What was your reaction to that request?

A. I made it clear to Vince that my interest was real, but it was absolutely contingent on Owen and Google. I wanted the real thing. I heard about that weird, bizarre, funky culture at Google, and I thought that the one aspect of the movie that would be cool would be an inside view. So I went to Google and described a movie that had to be irreverent enough to be funny, but in the end, would be good-hearted. We shook hands, and we were off to the races.

Q.Didn't they have corporate concerns about their image?

A. They were fine with it being an R-rated movie or a PG-13. They were open to all that, but they just didn't want it to be cynical. They didn't want it to be mean.

Director Shawn Levy, center, and stars Owen Wilson, left, and Vince Vaughn joke around while preparing to shoot a scene on the set of "The Internship." PHIL BRAY, TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX
Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson play analog guys in a digital world in the new comedy "The Internship." TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX
Before he directed "The Internship," Shawn Levy was responsible for both "Night at the Museum" movies. ALBERTO E. RODRIGUEZ, GETTY IMAGES
Director Shawn Levy is flanked by stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn at the premiere of their new comedy "The Internship." KEVIN WINTER, GETTY IMAGES
Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson get real close for their online interview with Google reps. TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX
It's not all fun and games when Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn enroll in Google's internship program. TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX
Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson play interns at Google in the Shawn Levy-directed comedy "The Internship." TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX

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